They get into their boat and set sail
across the waters in the direction of Capernaum. The sun has already set—it is dark and Jesus
is not with them. John 6:17 EFP
OK, so they
do have a destination in mind. They apparently
do not just set off with no idea where they were headed. Perhaps they do chart their course carefully
before setting out to sea. They would
not be the first or the last to set out with the best laid plans only to
discover a catastrophic miscalculation.
The text
gives us a couple of hints concerning oncoming complications. For one, it is already dark. The sun has set. I was about to say the stars are out, but I
don’t know if that is the case…at least not yet. How they charted their course would mean little
if they do not have the stars or landmarks to guide them. But the major miscalculation follows: Jesus
is not with them.
Why do I set
off without Jesus with me?
Careless? Absent-minded? Upset?
Headstrong? What does Jesus know
about sailing? He’s a carpenter! Do any and all of these ring true. It doesn’t really matter why I do it. I have learned that doing so never ends
well. It can be the middle of a sunny
and picturesque day, but without Jesus with me it is a dark episode all the
time. My best intentions or laudable
plans soon descend into the darkness of my own dark motives; and my well-masked
frailties escape into the soul-suffocating spiritual night. Jesus—don’t ever leave home without him!
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